Tyler Reddick’s victory in the 2026 Daytona 500 scored massive ratings for Fox Sports, which saw an 11% increase over last year’s race.
The 7.489 million viewers for the race out-paced every non-prime Winter Olympics window on broadcast and cable and was the most-watched NASCAR race since the 2023 Daytona 500 (8.173 million). The peak viewership from 5:30-5:45 p.m. ET on Sunday drew 9.154 million viewers.
They tuned in to see Reddick score a victory for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing by passing leader Chase Elliott on the final turn.
The 30-year-old Corning, Calif., native went high and swooped low off Turn 4 to beat Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by 0.308 seconds as the lead group wrecked wildly before reaching the flagstand.
Joey Logano finished third, followed by Elliott and Brad Keselowski.
“Last year was really hard for us, hard for me,” said Reddick, who became the fourth Daytona 500 winner not to lead until the last lap. “When you’re a Cup driver and you get to this level and drive for Michael Jordan, you’re expected to win every single year.”
Elliott settled for his second Top 5 finish in 11 starts at Daytona.
“This really sucks to be that close,” Elliott said, “come off Turn 4 with the lead and not finish it off.”
–Field Level Media
